Don’t Say “Mayday!” to Your June LSAT Prep Yet

When I was an undergraduate, I decided it would be a good idea to see how quickly I could eat one of Taco Bell’s 12-taco boxes (one of my friends had finished a box in under 10 minutes, and I am never one to back down from a challenge). About halfway through, I regretted my decision. I wasn’t going quickly enough and I was starting to feel sick — simply put, I wasn’t getting the results I wanted.

If you’re in a similar position with your June LSAT prep — you are taking too long and missing questions you feel like you shouldn’t be — don’t give up. The June LSAT is over a month away and there is plenty of time to see drastic improvements; here are a few tips to help make the most of your study time and start seeing the results you want.

Don’t Say “Mayday!” to Your June LSAT Prep I: One Step at a Time

When going through LSAT practice questions, it is tempting to approach the questions as a group and gauge your performance based on your overall results for the entire section. Resist that temptation!

The best way to study right now is to approach each question individually. For each question, read slowly and attentively, use the methods you’ve learned, and anticipate before moving into the answer choices. Once you move into the answer choices, make sure you can identify why each incorrect answer choice is incorrect and why the correct answer choice is correct. If you are unable to do so, or if you get the question wrong, review the question type and the methods. If you follow this approach, you’ll be less tied to your performance (which will reduce discouragement) and more attentive to what really matters — comprehension and repetition of the methods.

Put the stopwatch down and step away from it. At this point, you don’t need to feel dismayed by how long questions are taking. Worrying about timing will make you panicked and stressed about each question. In turn, the panic and stress will make you cut corners and read too quickly, which will cause comprehension errors and probably lead to incorrect answer choices. There is plenty of time to get up to speed later, but the best thing to focus on right now is thoroughly understanding and engaging with the methods.

Don’t Say “Mayday!” to Your June LSAT Prep III: Take a Break

The LSAT is an incredibly important test. It is a major factor in admissions and awards. As a result, there is a natural tendency among students to spend every waking moment worrying about how they’ll perform come LSAT test day. Allowing yourself to become absorbed with thinking about the LSAT and with studying for the LSAT is going to burn you out and make you rue the day you ever decided to pursue a legal education.

Allow yourself to take a night off (or even a day off following a particularly grueling study grind). Do something you enjoy and let your batteries recharge. Not only will this help you avoid getting discouraged and allow you to keep things in perspective, but it will also provide you with a clearer mind and a more focused approach for your subsequent study sessions.

I am proud disgusted to say that, by following these steps, I finished the whole taco box. Fortunately, if you follow my advice, the reward for your effort won’t be the inevitable aftereffects of a large Taco Bell meal (which I won’t expound upon), but it will rather be better performance on practice questions and LSAT score improvements on practice tests.

Everyone experiences struggles on the road to LSAT success, but these struggles can be overcome!